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House Kendar
House Kendar is one of the Six Great Houses, and specifically one of the Big Three (along with Leibowitz and Norn). They specialize in agriculture and military, and at the time of Janrad Norn's death had easily the largest army of any faction. The Kendars rule over Hab Spire Rise, and are headed by Lord Odham Kendar. Members Odham Kendar The ambitious and martially inclined Lord of Hab Spire Rise. An imposing figure like most Spiremen, he towers over many of his fellow lords. He maintains a meticulously ordered military appearance, and has two visible augments: a cybernetic eye and a hydraulic arm. Audra Kendar Odham Kendar's deceased wife was born Audra Maison. Though their union was initially political, they grew very close, and shared a love of strategy and military discipline. She fit the Hab Spire standards of appearance: blonde hair, dark features, and a powerful build. Roman Kendar Licentious only son of Odham and Audra Kendar, Roman inherited his father's great strength and intimidating appearance. He had a penchant for dressing flamboyantly, to his father's dismay. Ywain Kendar The younger brother of Lord Odham, Ywain was always more inclined towards scholarly pursuits, and was very slight for a Spireman. He was significantly more religious than the rest of his family, and wore a beard in the Dorith's End style. Layna Kendar Born Layna Shau of the Low Halls, she entered House Kendar by marrying Ywain. She was exceptionally beautiful, and dark of hair and features. Charismatic and outgoing, Layna became the diplomatic face of House Kendar as her husband became increasingly withdrawn from society. Anna Kendar Born Anna M'kai, she married widower Odham Kendar shortly after the death of his brother Ywain. She is small and slim like the rest of her family, and also possesses the stereotypical M'kai cunning and business sense. History Origins The Kendars and their ancestors have ruled over the Spires for countless generations. The family has existed since before the beginning of recorded history, even longer than the Church of Ascension. They rose to power by maintaining a highly disciplined military, using their large forces of well-trained Men at Arms to defend Hab Spire Rise against invaders and marauders. Because the Spires' gleaming lights and ample food supplies have always drawn hostiles aplenty, the Kendars' role as defenders of the province made them critically important. 1400 years ago (around 900 BC), they seized control of the region from the Board of Illuminators and instituted martial law, which holds to this day. Norn Feud The people of Hab Spire Rise always had severe distrust for the Depths, as the City's underground was a chief source of the raiders that attacked the Spires for food. However, in 322 BC, Borl Kendar negotiated with the Norns to extend the Hydraulic Tramnet to their province, granting the Spiremen access to public transportation. This transportation quickly became critical to the economy of Hab Spire Rise, and enabled them to begin exporting food to other regions in exchange for weapons and chemicals. This galvanized the commercial infrastructure, and is regarded by many to be the beginning of the Realm as it is known today. The import of chemicals allowed the Kendars to produce even more food than they had previously, making food available throughout the Realm on a greatly increased scale. Three hundred years later, just before the establishment of the Receivery, Dietrich Norn shut down the Hab Spire tramns in response to Kendar military threats. Hab Spire Rise was thrown into chaos when public transportation became unavailable, and House Kendar was forced to spend the next two generations restoring order. Mismanagement of the now-necessary chemical resources and a collapse of the command structure lef to a devastating famine. Their position was so weak that they were unable to object when Crom subjugated the Realm and placed their hated rivals, the Norns, on the same political level as the other Families. Although the Spires eventually adapted and learned to operate without the benefits of tramns, House Kendar never forgot their humiliation. The War in the Depths = Full page: Norn-Kendar War = In AR 491, Lord Odham Kendar arranged for his brother Ywain to marry Kavin Norn's sister Alicia. This move was supposed to end the longstanding feud between the two Families. Instead, Kavin abruptly broke off the engagement just before the wedding. Odham saw this as a direct attempt to sabotage the reputation of House Kendar, and launched an invasion of the Depths - though many saw this as a thinly-veiled excuse for the war Odham and House Kendar had wanted for a long time. The Kendar forces were ultimately destroyed or routed, and Odham's wife Audra perished in the war's final battle. The Interregnum In AR 500, House Kendar was one of the most influential Houses, counted among the Big Three. Their military forces were unmatched, and they exported over twice as much food as House Djevak, the only other notable agricultural House. This made them widely feared by the other Families, as they possessed not only the power to launch large-scale invasions, but the power to cut off entire fiefs from their food supplies, including both the Wastes and the Depths. The Funeral The whole Kendar family attended the funeral of Receiver Janrad Norn, though Roman Kendar left shortly afterwards and did not attend the reception. At the reception, Odham Kendar approached Liber Djevak with an offer: the two agricultural Houses should agree to fix the price of food, increasing both their incomes and placing the other Great Families at a disadvantage. Roman's Betrayal Tensions between House Norn and House Kendar were even more strained than usual as a result of the food-fix. Remembering how poorly the last war with the Depths went, Odham Kendar decided to smooth relations with the Norns by sending his son, Roman Kendar, to negotiate the reactivation of the long-dead Hab Spire tramns. Unfortunately, Roman had ideas of his own. Once in the Depths, the Kendar heir informed Kavin and Yene Norn that he intended to betray his own family. He handed over a copy of House Kendar's financial and military files - giving the Norns full access to their rivals' information - and asked for asylum in the Depths. Odham Kendar was participating in the First Lowlands Expedition, and had left his brother Ywain in command of Hab Spire Rise. Ywain learned of the betrayal from his spy, Sohlem Lebbick, who was acting as Castellan to House Norn. He put a plan in motion to eliminate Roman, and executed it after writing to Odham and asking for his approval. Lebbick convinced a huntress in Norn's employ to sneak into Roman's room and assassinate him. The Conference Although he himself had ordered the assassination, Odham blamed Kavin Norn for his son's death. He invited Lord Norn to the Coils of Pleasure to discuss peace between the two Families. Kavin agreed, and Odham lied in wait along his route with his brother Ywain and several squads of Lancers. The ambush was a mixed success. Kavin had brought only a handful of bodyguards, but was wearing his ceremonial Rig Armor, allowing him to put up a substantial fight. Lord Norn was eventually killed, but Ywain Kendar also died in the battle.